Well-Known Member

I always have stuff rattling round the brainbox. Lately I've been singing what I'm doing. Hum drum... put the kettle on...looking out the window watching it rain , sorta stuff. That last dose of flu seemed to sap my creativity.

I posted something on soundcloud a couple of years ago that seemed to write itself after a night out. Is an upbeat 12bar really a composition? Story telling to music. Not happy with the singing but I had to get it out while it was fresh and before I forgot it.

Senior Member

This thread seems very relevant to me at the moment as I am in the process of producing an album of material for my Bandcamp called thoughts of Leith. I have written and co-written dozens of songs over the last 4 decades and like many others always think the latest stuff is the best.
I don't think I have ever had a single motive for this pastime as it has changed many times but a commonality is having a concept,hook or verse of lyrics rattling around that I want to solidify or perhaps cathertrize. My limited experience with record and publishing companies has taught me a harsh lesson regarding the monetory aspect of sending them stuff where really you run the risk of plagerism and now I consider myself an independent artist who's issue is solely for the public domain blah blah.

Playing saxophone 20 months - 2.3% of my life

So, many of you do compose! Most, in fact. I realize some people do not want to get into the financial questions (I will, eventually) but inspiration and how you work would be of interest.

How do you get your inspiration?
(The stuff usually just comes to, I hear it in my head, but several years ago I sat down and just decided to create a jingle-length MIDI piece every day. I did that for a while.)

Do you write it the music in standard notation?
(No, I record it. Anything that has been published from me, if in written notation, someone else did it. Come to think of it, in the 1970's, we still had to submit onion skin versions!)

Are you a member of ASCAP/BMI SACEM or whatever the UK has?
(BMI and SACEM, which is funny, because you are not supposed to be in more than one.)

Do you earn anything selling online or from albums, CD, DVD, 8-track...?
(A few $$ here and there on AudioMicro and YouTube non-exclusive licenses. These are for the jingle-length stuff for podcast themes and such. I have also gotten BMI royalties for my solo album and my work with a group that sold a few copies. All of that has dried up years ago.)

Member

How do you get your inspiration?
Something will have pricked up my ears recently - whether a chord sequence or a groove - and then this might evolve anyway.

Do you write it the music in standard notation?
Yes. Formally taught so tend to think formally too.

Do you earn anything selling online or from albums, CD

I have done, but was really lazy (i.e. a crap business person) and once the album was finished it was done for me. The thing was the doing of it - if that makes any sense.

For a few years I got royalty payments from the BBC for a 2005 Top Of The Pops performance. If I remember correctly it was for being shown in Canada and the Philippines. Was something like £1.90. I split a cappuccino over it.

A friend of mine has made a decent living ( at least £25k++) on writing 'library music'. I should imagine Pete Thomas does this too. Bridgestone commercials, the little inter-scene musical interjections on Friends - stuff like that. He'd often not know something had been used until an itemised royalty list a year or two later.
As a side man royalties on albums, tracks etc is pretty low. Maybe 15p to 50p per play depending on whether national or regional radio.

Playing saxophone 20 months - 2.3% of my life

Over four or more years, here's the revenue. Not included is the cost of placement service, which is very likely at least 10 times the sales revenue in the first chart. The second was no fee, it's Audiomusic.

Member

Over four or more years, here's the revenue. Not included is the cost of placement service, which is very likely at least 10 times the sales revenue in the first chart. The second was no fee, it's Audiomusic.

Playing saxophone 20 months - 2.3% of my life

Yeah, that represents all my independent production with zero promo, just placement on those sites. Of course I don't do it for money, but BMI royalties for the group stuff was a little better, but nothing fantastic. We also did some direct CD sales in the 1990's, but again, nothing mind-blowing.

Member

Yeah, that represents all my independent production with zero promo, just placement on those sites. Of course I don't do it for money, but BMI royalties for the group stuff was a little better, but nothing fantastic. We also did some direct CD sales in the 1990's, but again, nothing mind-blowing.

Chief of Stuff

As I think many people here know, for the last 25 years or so I have been mostly making my living as a composer (TV/film music- direct commissions for commercials, documentaries etc. and production music - e.g. themes and promo trailers.). Not getting into specifics but I'm not complaining.

Often from something I play by accident, but more often than not from a brief a client gives me. This could involve just a smidgen of pastiche or inspiration from some other source, but sometimes something I (hopefully) thought up by myself and staying well on the right side of any copyright issues (not always easy).